Jacob's first football game

Last Saturday, Keith and I had the opportunity to go to the UVA-TCU football game. Since it was an afternoon game (versus a night game) and the weather was supposed to be nice, we decided to take Jacob along with us. I was really excited about him going to his first game at Scott Stadium, since, of course, the UVA football program has been such a huge part of my life for the past two years. For 37 weeks I carried him around (on the inside) while I worked there, so I am convinced he was born to be a Cavalier fan!

I found this orange & blue oufit at Babies R Us back in August and he looked so cute sitting on the couch while Mommy & Daddy packed up our things to go to the game.

We left our house a few hours before the game started so that we could make a stop at the library on the way. Keith wanted to introduce Jacob to one of the graduate students that he works with that only works on the weekends. Since we have to walk past the library to get to the stadium from the parking lot, this was a perfect opportunity for Omer to meet Jacob.

Speaking of walking from the parking lot to the stadium....that is a hike!! I have been spoiled for the past two seasons as I was shuttled over to the stadium on game days because I was working. This time, we had to walk about a mile, up hills, carrying a close-to-15 lb baby and a stocked-full diaper bag. Thankfully Keith offered to carry Jacob and we had the opportunity to use the front baby carrier that we got as a present before he was born. Here is a picture of Jacob and Daddy after the game (we were running late to get to the library so I didn't get any pictures of us walking to the game).

It may look like Jacob was not enjoying himself very much (he was really tired when this picture was taken), but I think he really liked being in the carrier. He was looking all around and taking it all in both on the way to and from the stadium. We tried to put him in the carrier facing Keith so that he could sleep on the way back if he wanted, but he cried when he was positioned that way, so we moved him back to forward facing. As you can see from this picture, he was happy to be able to see the world around him.

Once we arrived at the stadium, we settled into our seats before the game started. We were blessed to get free tickets from my contacts in the Football office and they were seats that were in a covered section. It didn't end up being that hot that day, but I was glad that we didn't have to worry about having Jacob in the sun. It actually got a bit cool up in our section and we thought it might rain, but thankfully it didn't.

Because of us leaving the house early to stop at the library, Jacob didn't get his morning nap (he did get a 20 minute cat nap in the car), so by the time we arrived at the stadium, he was super tired. Here are two pictures we took pre-game before he fell asleep, which was sometime during the first quarter.

After he woke up, he hung out with Daddy for awhile. Keith also fed him and he drank 6 oz! I had hoped that the 6 oz. of breastmilk that I packed would be enough for two feedings, but I guess our little man was hungry!

During halftime, I took him down to the section where I used to sit during home games. This is the section where the high school players who are being recruited sit with the football office admin staff. It was really nice to see my old co-workers and for them to see Jacob. I was glad that I got to visit with them for a little while!

Sometime during the third quarter, Jacob fell asleep again. It was really cute seeing him sleeping on my shoulder (and I was glad that he was getting some rest), but oh my gosh, holding him like that for an extended period of time really hurt my back after awhile. Thankfully, there was a wall that I was able to lean up against and because of where we were sitting, I was able to stand up most of the time I was holding him (which was more comfortable than sitting).

Anyone that keeps up with college football knows that the game didn't end up being a very good one if you are a UVA fan. We did score two touchdowns, albeit, at the very end of the game when it was clear that it wasn't going to help us win. It was difficult to watch the team play so badly, but I was glad that we were able to go.

I learned that attending a football game & attempting to pay attention to what is going on is much different when you take a three-month old with you. Between making sure he wasn't too hot or too cold, hoping that he would close his eyes and go to sleep so he didn't get overtired, and not yelling too loudly so I didn't scare him half-to-death (this did happen once!), it is definitely an interesting experience. But, in the end, I am glad that I got to share that with him.

I look forward to taking him to football games in a few years when he actually knows what is going on. This was just a trial run, and he did really well, but it will definitely be more fun when he is a bit older!